Help us with our big beach clean-up push
VOLUNTEER APPEAL IN BID TO RID COASTLINE OF RUBBISH
BEACH lovers are being urged to pull on their gloves and help to clean up one of Tyneside’s most popular seaside spots.
Volunteers will be descending on Tynemouth Longsands beach on Sunday as part of a campaign to rid our shorelines of litter.
The Big Spring Beach Clean has been organised by Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) and they are calling on other members of the public to join them from midday onwards.
With summer on the way and seabirds starting to nest, the team wants to make sure our coastline is free of harmful litter.
The charity says plastic pollution is affecting beaches around our shores and, over the past 15 years, the amount of marine litter washing up on UK beaches has almost doubled.
And the vast majority of marine litter is plastic, which never truly breaks down.
The group aims to recycle items found during beach cleans and is encouraging communities to reuse and refill plastic containers wherever possible.
Tom Bing, North East representative for the group, who lives in Tynemouth, said: “We held a clean-up in Tynemouth in the autumn and we had 112 volunteers who collected 57kg of litter.
“The most common things that are found on our beaches include coffee cups, chip boxes, crisp packets, plastic bottles, and children’s buckets and spades. You also find lots of things coming from boats such as bits of rope and polystyrene fish boxes.
“Our campaign is all about stopping the flow of plastic, polystyrene and other litter at the beach.
“It is important to keep our beaches and the sea clean, and also to remember the impact litter can have on wildlife such as seals, seabirds and dolphins.
“We are inviting people to come and join us on Sunday. This is very much a family event and parents are welcome to bring their children. Clean-ups like this give us a chance to give something back to the community.”
Similar events are due to take place on other beaches across the country next week.